Aeroplane.



Gg P. MBNTZ.

v AEBOPLANE. v 'xPIfpmATIoN FILED Nov. 1o, 1910` Patented Aug. 6,1912.

2 SEBETS-SHBET 2.

Wlnesses. Sm@ Ilvntor.

` To all whom it may concern:

GEORGE r. MRNTZ, or ATTICA, NRW YORK, AssIcfNoR, 'RY .MRsNR AssIeNIIRNIs, To

i UNITED AVIATION COMPANY, n CORPORATION or vNew YORK.

ARRoPLnNn.

Be it lmown that I, GnoRCn F. MRNTZ, a citizen 'of the United States,- residing at Attica, in the county of Wyoming and State of-New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in. Aeroplanes, of

which thefollowin is a specification.

This invention re ates to improvements in power" driven flying machines of the class popularly known as aeroplanes, and primarily to the means for securing stability when moving rapidly through the atmosplant has stopped.

.The-principal objects of the invention are to automatically balance the machine, .when i iiying, in position againstlateral tiltingor.

tipping, and toautomatically-maintain the. machine, when descending, approximately horizontal cn its a`Xis,'and-thu`s enable it to Ydescend slowly and 'alight safely. ,The first of these objects is attained` by providing supplementary diagonal planes which are attached to and extend' fromthe main plane or planes and form deflectin-g planes that prevent lateral' movement or'v side sway of the machine in the air, and the second of y these objects is secured by forming a ,pas-' y the main lane orplanes through. which sage or opening, or passages or openings 1n current o air passes when the machine is1 descending, forming an air column which serves to support and maintain the machine with its plane or planes inl an approxif.-

mately horizontal osition.

The invention aso relates to certainde'- `tails ofconstruction, which will be herein,

after described and perhaps claimed, reference being had to the accompanying draw ings, in which,- Figure 1 is a perspective View of 'an adaptation of the improved aeroplane. Fig. 2 is a central transverse section through the improved aeroplane.

' In referring to the -drawings indet-ail, like numerals designate like parts.

This invention is designed to almost `en- Siiccmiticn of Letters Patent. Patented Aug. 6,1912', Application filed November 10, 1910. ,Serial No.'591,558. I

Vheavier than air machine or aeroplane, by automatically insuring the stability of the machine when in operatiomand alsoproviding tor the safe descent ,of the samafllllhese, -very necessary purposes are accomplishedifi rst by providing supplemental-f i diagonal planes which extend longitudinally ofthe machine or in: the 'direction-ofthe .liner 9i flight, and serve to automatically maintain i areiy obviar@ the anger 'of iiyingfwini a the lateral stability oi the machine 'while flying, and second byformin air passage'isv or 'openings in the'main -p anes throi'igh above the other witlic-an intervening. air

space betweenthem. *These planes'will here- '70 inafter be respectively termed the-.upper and l lower main planeaVThe upper main planel may be substantially .latas shownfin=Fig^.-r1,y

or maybe curved jas; shown inl Fig. 2, and

it is provided with'a frame in the form of a cross which iscomposed of two longitudi-` 4 `Dal frame-members l, arranged in parallel separatedpositionand twotransverse frame members'fQ; als'clfarranged in-'parallel separatedposition and' extending at rightl tangles ',to -the.men ibers` 1. A covering 3 cfg suitable fabric is .secured to the vframe andanopening' of suitable size and form iaiiiadain the center-of the covering forY a purposeto be hereinafter described. The `-owerfmain plane has aA :trame similar in form't'o the form of the upper frame, but smaller in size, which consists of longitudivnal-fj-meinbers4 and transverse members 5.

' 'A covering 6 of suitable fabric is secured to:

' theframqof `the lower plane' and is provided parallel separated relation With'each other by means of vertical connecting members 8 and-diagonal brace wires 9. A horizontal it is fastened thereto by wires '15.

rudder lO is pivotcd at one end of the main planes and a vertical rudder 11 at the opposite end.

The machine is automatically maintained in its horizontal axis when flying by supplemental diagonal planes which extend longitudinally7 of the machine in the direction of its line of flight when traveling in a straight line, and depend obliquely downward from the main planes and form walls which obstruct the passage of air laterally between the planes and immediately beneath the lower plane, thereby preventing side movement or side sway. These supplemental diagonal planes are arranged in pairs, which are separated from each other at their point of juncture to the main plane and gradually converge together in a downward direction. The two-planes 12 and 13 forming the upper pair of supplemental diagonal planes are fastened at their upper edges to the upper plane and at their lower edges to a single longitudinally extending member 14; which is located approximately midway and centrally between the upper and lower main planes. To secure the member 14 in position between the main plarlis,

' lower pair of supplemental diagonal. planes consists of two planes 16 and 17 which are fastened at their upper edges to the lower plane and at the lower edges to a single longitudinally extending member 18. The

onal pairs of planes present substanti'al y the appearance of a V when viewed from the front or rear substantially as shown in Fig. 2, which hangs pendent from 'I A suitable 'seat 23 for the aviator is provided in front of the motor and controlling the main plane and .taken in conjunctionwith the main plane form a triangular box which is open 'at both ends and hasa horizontal top wall and two inclined side walls. The diagonal planes are each divided into two separated parts of equal 'size thereby leaving central spaces 19 which taken in con'- nection with the openings through the main planes vprovides a central opening extending lcompletely through the machine from top to bottom thereof as shown in Fig. l. The advantage of this construction is that the machine in descending through the atmosphere to the ground from an elevated point is sustained in its approximately horizontal position by the pressure of air passing through the central opening. The motor or poweriproducing plant 20 is mounted on the lower member 18 and has its shaft 21 extended-through said member 18 which is preferably made tubular, as shown in Fig. 2. A propeller 22 ls mounted at theforward end of said shaft 2l.

levers 24 and 25 for thel horizontal and ver tical rudders are located within convenient reach of the aviator when seated thereon. The lever 24 1s connected to the horizontal rudder by a system of cranks and connecting rods 2G, 27 and 28 and the lever 25 is connected to the vertical rudder by a connecting rod 2S) and crank 30, as shown in Fig. 1.

he machine is supported while on `the ground by pneumatic tired wheels 31, which are journaled in pairs at the opposite ends of axles The axles areconnected by longitudinal rods 33,and are supported beneath the member '18 by 'inverted U shaped bars 31. The U shaped bars are fastened by clips 35 to the member 18. at their middle and are arranged to extend diagonally downward to the axles 32 to which their lower ends are fastened. Brace wires 3G are also extended' from the axles 32 to the member 18 to additionally strengthen and brace the axles in their position.

In flying with this machine, the aviator starts his motor which rotates the propeller and draws the machine along the ground, and 'when he has secured sulicient momentum, he elevates or tilts his horizontal rudder which starts him from the ground. In descending the aviator may coast diagonally to the ground in the usual way, or if the motor has stopped and the'machine has lost its momentum, he can drop slowly with the machine automatically sustained in its horizontal position by the passage of a column of air through the vcentral opening therein.

In the biplane adaptation illustrated the rdriving the machine is located in the vi' ein] ty of the air column passing through the openings in the planes so' that said air colf umn serves to appreciably assist in cooling the motor. The members of the frame may be made of light material, such as bamboo, or other suitable wood, or of thin metal tub ing as desired. l

lVithout limiting myself to the precise construction or arrangement of any or all of the parts shown and describ'ed:or confining myself to a combination of any or all of said parts except' as 'hereinafter particu# larly pointed out in thebfollowing'claim, I claim-v In a machine of the class described, a biplane *consisting of an upper main plane provided with "a central opening, 'a lower main plane iii-separated arrangement below the upper main plane and provided with a central opening registering vertically with the'central openlng through the upper llO main plane, and supplementary balancing openings in the upper and lower planes replanes arranged in V form and hung pendmoved to provide a central vertical opening l0 ent from the upper main plane with their extending completely through the machine. separated upper ends fastened to the upper main plane andl their connected lower ends GEORGE F MENTZ fastened to the lower main plane; said su Witnesses: plementary balancing planes having then' A. J. SANGSTER,

Inlddle portions located between the central L. M. SANGSTER. 

